How to manage the radio tax in a flatshare (WG) in Germany

what is GEZ in Germany ?

‘People living in Germany are legally required to pay public broadcasting fees that help fund public radio and television stations. Every household is charged a flat rate for the broadcasting license fee. Only one adult per household has to file and pay the fee’.

You might ask, why this GEZ Germany wants you to pay broadcasting fees even if you are not using their services? It is recommended to pay the required flat rate, as ignoring this tax is just not worth the time and effort. In Germany, every eligible household pays one fee. This means 18.36 (Nov. 2021) euros per month, this sums up to 220 euros per year.

How does it work if you are living in a flatshare (WG) in Germany?

Let’s say that you are living in a flatshare (Wohngemeinschaft) with your roommates and you have moved in recently. After the city registration ‘stadt anmeldung’ the radio guys will hunt you down like always and will send you a letter to pay for a radio tax. If a roommate from your flatshare is already paying the radio tax then you can register yourself to a roommate who is already paying the radio tax. Then you will be simply de-registered from radio tax and you do not have to pay the tax just by yourself. Rather, you can contribute to the roommate who is paying the…